2005 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab | Review | Buying Guide
Crew cabs are generally the more luxurious and expensive of the three cab styles (the other two being the regular cab and the extended cab, both covered separately), and with this year’s Sierra 1500 crew cab, there is no exception.
There isn’t much you can’t do with a crew cab. As a large pickup, the Sierra 1500 version has plenty of power to move and haul the heaviest loads. But with a spacious interior compartment, the crew cab can also move quite a few people as well.
The crew cab features a 143.5-inch wheelbase with a specially sized 5.8-ft cargo bed and a conventional crew cab passenger compartment. The vehicle offers 49.6 cubic feet of cargo volume.
Under the Hood
There is plenty of power under the crew cab’s hood. Its engine is a 5.3-liter V8. It can muster 295 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 335 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm, and it is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The 2005 Sierra comes in a rear-wheel drive configuration with optional traction control or with one of two 4WD systems. The base 4WD setup must be disengaged on dry pavement. Optional Autotrac 4WD can be left engaged on dry pavement. Both systems include low-range gearing.
An optional trailering package sets you up with all the equipment needed to haul heavy loads. It features a heavy-duty hitch platform, heavy-duty transmission oil cooler, a wiring harness and a high-capacity air cleaner.
Standard Features, Options Packages and Style
Safety is comprehensively addressed with a number of equipment features. The front-passenger seat is equipped with GM’s Passenger Sensing System, which deactivates the passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions to help protect smaller occupants. The system assesses the size of the occupant in the seat, based on measured weight in the seat cushion and tension in the belt system. A telltale in the rearview mirror lets the occupant know if the system is on or off.
The top-line SLT crew cab is quite loaded this year. It has the OnStar assistance system, leather upholstery, 10-way power heated front bucket seats, a memory system (driver seat, mirrors), dual-zone automatic climate controls, driver-side automatic day/night and passenger-side tilt-down back-up-aid mirrors with turn signals, a Bose AM/FM radio with in-dash 6-disc CD changer and steering-wheel radio controls as standard equipment.
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